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Hundreds of people came out to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, as well as to watch the Battalion members exercise their Freedom of Entry to the City of Darwin today.

Around 400 members of the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, marched and marked the Battalion’s 50th anniversary with a Freedom of Entry Parade.

The soldiers marched dressed in their camouflage uniforms and carrying their personal weapons, accompanied by the Battalion’s mascot, a tiger known as Quintus Rama.

Australian Army Vehicles and the Australian Army Band followed the parade, commencing at the Darwin City Council Offices, marching through Darwin City and finishing at the Darwin Cenotaph on the Esplanade.

His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Ret'd), a former member of the 5th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, inspected the parade and addressed the soldiers as they paused at the Dias at Raintree Park.

During the Govenor-General's speech, he spoke of a soldiers pride in serving their community.

"In this, the 50th anniversary of your founding, you march for your Battalion, for yourselves and for all who have been before you in this famous Battalion. Proudly, displaying the colours that tell the story of who you are, who you represent from the past and all you commit to be in the future," His Excellency said.

Also inspecting the parade members were the Administrator of the Northern Territory, The Hon John Hardy OAM and Darwin Lord Mayor, Katrina Fong Lim.

Darwin Lord Mayor, Katrina Fong Lim was extremely pleased to see the community experience the historic and ceremonial aspects of the Freedom of Entry parade.

“It was a great opportunity for the Darwin community to be a part of a special ceremony that acknowledged the important work of those who have served in war and peace,” the Lord Mayor said.

Commander 1st Brigade, Brigadier Mick Ryan said the Freedom of Entry Parade was an excellent opportunity to highlight the 5th Battalion's 50th anniversary.

"The 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, has a long and proud history and we could not think of a better way to share it than with the people of Darwin. From war time service, to cyclone clean ups, the members of the 5th Battalion, as part of the wider 1st Brigade, live by their motto "duty first", and are proud to serve the NT community," Brigadier Ryan said.

A static display featuring Australian Army vehicles and weaponry was also a feature of today's celebration.

Originally established in 1965, 5th Battalion served two tours of South Vietnam before it was reorganised and linked with the 7th Battalion to form 5th/7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5/7 RAR), in 1973.

In late 2006, the two battalions were reorganised and de-linked. 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, again joined the Australian Army's order of battle in its own right. 5 RAR has since served in Iraq, Timor-Leste (East Timor) and Afghanistan.

The 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment 's motto is ‘Duty first’.

Entry into Venezia by Joseph Lavigne

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VQ1015 Entry : Centre Point 2 by Robin Schroder